The City of Ottawa’s community services committee has approved a plan to move the Centre éducatif Pinocchio — a city-run French-language childcare service — to a high-needs area in West Centretown.
The city is proposing to move the municipally-operated centre from its current location at 111 Sussex Drive in Lowertown — the former Ottawa City hall — to a new facility at 1010 Somerset St. W., next to the Plant Recreation Centre.
“City staff will prioritize the work on a transition plan to the new location,” states a staff report, “minimizing impacts for families and work with the Centre éducatif Pinocchio landlord and preferably a not-for-profit child care provider to maintain dedicated Francophone spaces, similar fee structure and seamlessly transition these critical Francophone child care services at the Centre éducatif Pinocchio location.”
The plan still requires approval of full council.
A Municipal Child Care Centre Review was completed and presented to city council in June 2021. The review found the current location for Centre éducatif Pinocchio did not meet council’s mandate for municipally operated childcare and did not prioritize families who face various barriers and systemic challenges.
“From an operational perspective, the City would oversee three new rooms in addition to the existing two rooms at Pinocchio plus eight net new child care spaces (five rooms total),” stated a staff report presented at the June 24 committee meeting. “This will result in the creation of 57 net new Francophone child care spaces, for a total of 88 spaces, in a neighbourhood identified as having significant need.”
Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said city officials have been working with the community to find an adequate location for the centre since they had learned about its potential move in 2023.
“Right now, according to the city survey, West Centretown has the highest need and no French daycare access. This is a huge opportunity to have a French language daycare that meets the needs of the community.”
— Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster
“Right now, according to the city survey, West Centretown has the highest need and no French daycare access,” said Troster. “This is a huge opportunity to have a French language daycare that meets the needs of the community.”
Troster said the move will coincide with the Master Concept Plan for the creation of a community hub at 1010 Somerset, which includes an expansion of the recreation centre as well as hundreds of new housing units where Little Italy, Chinatown and Hintonburg converge. The centre’s new location will be part of a French elementary school planned to open in September 2027.
“Families that once had to drive or bus their children to access French language care and education will have the opportunity to do so in their own neighbourhood,” said Troster.
However, Troster said there is still a concern for the current families in Lowertown who need French child care services. Lowertown is a traditionally francophone neighbourhood and Troster said council is only meeting 70 per cent of the needs for suitable childcare in the area.
“We want to be creating more spots, not just porting them from one neighbourhood to another,” said Troster.
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante, whose ward encompasses the current site, said there is a dire need for childcare services, especially downtown.
“We need to be increasing childcare spaces across the city, not just moving them around.”
— Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante
“We need to be increasing childcare spaces across the city, not just moving them around,” said Plante.
The committee requested an evaluation of the possibility of continuing municipally operated French childcare services in Lowertown or Sandy Hill and a report with recommendations to help reduce potential impacts.
“Now instead of just moving the spots to West Centretown, they are going to look for another space for the existing spots in Lowertown into a low-income area to meet the needs,” said Troster.
Plante said adequate French childcare cannot always be provided by simply hiring a third party or a bilingual caregiver. She said the city needs to be investing in French services in order to make adequate francophone childcare affordable and accessible.
“Especially with the loss of the Beausoleil daycare in 2016, we don’t want to be losing anymore government provided services,” said Plante, referring to a city-run childcare facility on York Street in Lowertown that closed nearly a decade ago.
The community services committee made clear that access to French-language childcare is crucial for francophone families in Ottawa to create a sense of inclusion, strengthen communities and support language preservation.
“Everyone wants to see cute little faces in their childcare spaces,” said Plante, “and this achieves those goals.”
